Has anyone who owned a Volkswagen Jetta have problems starting it in the winter?

Has anyone who owned a Volkswagen Jetta have problems starting it in the winter?

I'm looking to buy a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI (the new deisel fuel one) and I heard from someone at work that in the cold winter weather she had a difficult time starting her Jetta. I was wondering if this was a common issue for Volkswagen owners up north...

Asked by: C @ 2009-04-28 18:13:48

Answers ::
Yeah. They are difficult in the winter. That's why I got an SUV because they are good for all of the seasons.

Ashley

I live in Germany, and It gets REAL COLD in the winter. I never have a problem starting my Volkswagen.

Chad

The thing is if you take good care of it like its a child (kinda don't bring it in the living room) it will start easy but if you hit rocks or are mean to it it will have difficulties so take good care of it and in return it will be a good reliable little car. O ya if you have a garage park it in there so the motor wont get to cold and in winter don't use bio diesel because it will get very thick and gum up the lines. =)

G- MAN

All over the place .........sorry!.

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0e94a3/14

supernova

Use the winter blend fuel and don't ignore the check engine light, and you won't have much (if any) trouble. More often than not, when a hard to start TDI car comes in to the shop in the winter, the check engine light has been on for quite some time and just ignored. The fault stored: Glow plug circuit failure. $50 repair. $150 tow.

Moose

I have a 1999 Jetta TDI.

I'm in the habit of putting the key in and just turning it. In the winter, there's a little light on the dash, and you need to turn the key halfway, wait for the light to go out, then turn it the rest of the way to start the car. If you don't do this, it will take a few seconds to start.

Another possible issue is the fuel gelling. This is fairly rare - it has to get really cold for it to happen. Different states/provinces sell different blends of fuel in the winter time (i.e. fuel sold in Michigan won't gel until it gets to a lower temperature than what would cause fuel sold in Florida to gel). The intention there is to make it so that your fuel won't gel.

For the 10 years I've owned my car, it's never gelled. I've lived in central Indiana that whole time. I park in the garage at night, though. If you don't have a garage, it's possible it might gel like one morning per year.

One more thing about the different states' formulations: since these cars can go so far on a tank, say you live in Detroit and go on a trip down South, during the winter, and on the way home you fill up in Lexington, KY. When you get home, you'll probably still have half a tank of Kentucky-formulated fuel in your car. It would probably be a good idea to fill the tank the rest of the way with Michigan fuel.

They sell engine block heaters - you glue it onto the bottom of your engine (quick and easy, just have to jack up the car then remove a plastic cover on the Jetta to get to it). I think they're like $60. If you don't have a garage, but do have access to a power outlet, then on the coldest winter nights you can just put it on a timer to start heating a couple hours before whatever time you leave in the morning, and you should be good to go.

Get the car - they're excellent. I should hit 200,000 miles sometime in June. My window sticker said 49mpg highway...when I drive normally (80mph) I get about 46mpg and when I drive like an old lady I get up to 53mpg. Even at 10 years old, it's still nice and peppy. Any problem you ever have, you can find lots of helpful people at forums.tdiclub.com

Jon

its because its a diesel...need to keep engine warmer on it at night

Jettaowner

With all diesel vehicles it is important to use a winter blend of fuel. Diesel will jell at very low temperatures without it. Diesel cars have a much higher compression ratio that gasoline cars and because battery cranking power drops with temperature they may be harder to start. Some with diesels utilize engine block heaters to make starting easier. Many trucks with diesels have two batteries.

Lawrence S

Is owning a white car more difficult to keep clean?

I'm thinking about getting a 09 Volkswagen Jetta TDI and really like the color in white but I've always seen older white cars seem to look really dirty/rusted. I was wondering what anyone who has owned white cars thinks about them as I have owned mostly black and blue cars. Do the still look good as new 5-7 years later if washed/waxed?

Asked by: C @ 2009-04-28 04:36:49

[Best Answer]My son works at a paint\body shop and he says VW uses a high quality paint for all their cars. They will hold their original luster/shine longer than most vehicles. VW seems to be proud of this as they warrant their cars for 12 years agains corrosion!
I bought a Candy White VW GTI 4 years ago. A co-worker of mine commented on its shine and said " you keep this thing waxed all the time" ! I didnt have the heart to tell him that I only wax it once a year. So, yes I am quite happy with the Candy White!
Also, my youngest son bought a 1998 GTI that is also white. He Never waxes it and it rarely gets washed. Believe it or not, the car still looks decent. (So why am I washing/waxing mine?) I have to admit I actually enjoy it!
My wife has a silver Jetta that she says is the best car Ive ever got her. While its not a TDI, she says get the Jetta, you will absolutely love it!!

By : fenton @ 1240933975

Answers ::
actually dark colors look dirty faster than white.

velcropap

i have a white truck and its been the easiest color to keep clean that i have ever had and cooler in the summer.

Scott W

White is actually the easiest color to keep clean. It may get dirty but will still look fairly clean. Darker colors; black, blue, green and so on are harder to keep clean because the dirt and stuff will block the shiny coat. Although when white is dirty and it may look clean, once you do clean it you will obviously notice a difference in it.

badb0y969

white or off white is a lot easier than most. the wost thing is tree sap and bird droppings on white. if you keep it clean and use a good wax on it. it will look good for a long time.if you have had dark cars (black) white will be a breeze to you

nobby

just remember little bits of tar that flick up off the road will stand out like mad! i have silver and that's bad enough! thank God for eucalyptus, it gets the tar off really easy. if you keep it clean it will always look smart. good luck with the purchase!

NL Concorde

My son works at a paint\body shop and he says VW uses a high quality paint for all their cars. They will hold their original luster/shine longer than most vehicles. VW seems to be proud of this as they warrant their cars for 12 years agains corrosion!
I bought a Candy White VW GTI 4 years ago. A co-worker of mine commented on its shine and said " you keep this thing waxed all the time" ! I didnt have the heart to tell him that I only wax it once a year. So, yes I am quite happy with the Candy White!
Also, my youngest son bought a 1998 GTI that is also white. He Never waxes it and it rarely gets washed. Believe it or not, the car still looks decent. (So why am I washing/waxing mine?) I have to admit I actually enjoy it!
My wife has a silver Jetta that she says is the best car Ive ever got her. While its not a TDI, she says get the Jetta, you will absolutely love it!!

fenton

any car can stay looking new if you take care of it

white is the easiest
cause they dont show scratches/ swirl marks as easy

KB

Is it possible to get a 1960 somethng Volkswagen bug with automatic features?

well i want a bug but i really dont want to drive a stick. so yeh. i was wondering if it would be possible to get it customized as an automatic

Asked by: moo2_29 @ 2009-04-27 21:56:38

Answers ::
Not until the uglier 1968 model, and Those are rareish and you still had to shift it once.

My second car was a 1964 beetle, it took a week to get the hang of driving them. they do not drive or feel like a modern car. They are all "sticks".

mdcbert

Learn2drive noob!!

McLovin08

NO I had a 63 and driving it with the stick was about as much fun as you can have for a little money. Buy the stick you will enjoy it.

skyhawk

VW did have an automatic as an option in '68 - 72, they are very rare now. But other than being rare, they were very inefficient. Take a car that puts out 70 horsepower on a good day and it's slow, take 25% of that to run the auto transmission and the car wouldn't hardly move out of its own way. Don't get me wrong, I love bugs, but hated the automatic transmission. Learn to drive a stick, it's part of the nostalgia of driving a bug.

Shane A

As others will also say, VW made an 'auto stick' bug for a few years, but it did not go over well. It still required shifting, but did not have a clutch pedal and only had three forward gears instead of the standard four speed.

Repairs were hard and parts were different from the standard beetle (and very hard to find now).

But, half the fun of driving an old bug IS the shifting. Its easy to learn and simple to do, so why spend literally thousands of dollars more for something that will not run as well and only saves your left foot a little work?

.. Go buy a standard bug and have fun...

ca_surveyor

The Beetle was never offered with a full automatic transmission; the "auto stick" transmission was a semi-automatic that you shifted the gears, but had no clutch pedal. The auto stick wasted a lot of power and fuel economy was poor, but the worst feature is that they required frequent adjustments to keep them running correctly.

The transmission is actually a manual transmission with a vacuum bellows that operates a clutch set up. The mechanism required adjustments about every 6 months or so to work properly and when it wasn't maintained often the vacuum bellows would fail. The problem is these days is that there aren't many people who have the knowledge to service it correctly and do it on a regular basis, in addition, parts are very hard to come by and if somebody knows how rare they are the parts will be very expensive.

If you want the air cooled VW experience, get a type III (so called squareback or fastback.) These models had a full automatic transmission, yet, are easy to drive and have better stability and handling than the Beetle. Although parts aren't as easily found for them, there are still plenty of them around and in the case of the squareback, they have far more room to carry luggage and the like.
Most models have disc brakes and all are better in the wind than the Beetles were.

If you still want a Beetle, learn to drive a manual transmission. It may take a while to learn, but its a valuable skill to have as you'd be able to drive just about anything.

Hope this helps, a car nut.

a car nut

What is the best way to wash such a delicate engine like the VW cars?

I have noticed every time i wash the engine of my jetta a problem appears, like slow acceleration or the engine vibrates a lot, so i guess washing it the way im doing it is bad! I get it done with some kind of hose that shoots water in a vapor way but with pressure, i was told this was the best way. Is this true?

Asked by: Tourian @ 2009-04-27 22:23:04

[Best Answer]All the car-techs I know have told me to never wash any engine with water. This also applies to steam or any other pressure treatment. Modern autos have sensitive electronics/computers ; they do not like moisture in any form. Would you wash your desktop/laptop?
If done regularly, all an engine needs is a wipe-down with perhaps a citrus based cleaner and a soft cloth.

By : fenton @ 1240950440

Answers ::
Try washing the OUTSIDE of the car. Sensitive electronics in the engine are not designed for hose blasts.

Dave W

I'm assuming you have an older Jetta... 4 cylinder. perhaps? My sisters' Cabrio hated engine washes. The water would get into the distributor and cause it to misfire..

Honestly, I wouldn't wash it unless you remove the distributor.

CLK63BLK

Back where I live, some fuel stations offer steam wash for the engine, if you can find one, you could get the engine steam washed.

Octy a.k.a Octane★97

All the car-techs I know have told me to never wash any engine with water. This also applies to steam or any other pressure treatment. Modern autos have sensitive electronics/computers ; they do not like moisture in any form. Would you wash your desktop/laptop?
If done regularly, all an engine needs is a wipe-down with perhaps a citrus based cleaner and a soft cloth.

fenton

Call a professional detailer and have your motor steam cleaned. There are many sensitive electronics under the hood of most cars on the road today, and if you just spray degreaser and pressure wash it or even use a garden hose for that matter you run the risk of doing thousands in damage. On a side note you also have to watch out when cleaning car engines as many states and im sure most other countries have strict laws prohibiting you from dropping any oil or chemicals such as that, that could drip from the engine during a rinse down and harm the environment.

Christopher G

how much should it cost to replace the brakes on my 06' volkswagen jetta?

What should be the cost for the brake pads themselves?
and
What is an average labor cost of a mechanic?

Asked by: Joseph @ 2009-04-27 19:35:40

Answers ::
200ishh

xoxo

call up your nearest VW dealer or brake repair shop and ask...it varies from town to town...(whatever the traffic will bear)

Chrys

including labor probably around $275-$325 or so depending on where you take it, the actual delearship will cost you alot more.

danni

IMO go to your VW dealership. Ive found that they have competitive pricing when compared to other shops.
Even if they were slightly higher I still trust them to do the job rite the 1st time and will guarantee their work.
They replaced my wifes Jetta brakes and disks last year and we were pleased with their workmanship.
Sorry, but we've forgotten the price.....

fenton

At the dealership, fronts are approximately $300-400. Rears tend to be more like $400-500. VW parts tend to cost more, but also last seemingly forever. The labor rate of most mechanics is around $100/hour (some more, some less).

Moose

My 2002 VW Jetta engine oil is leaking into my engine coolant system what could be the causing this?

Asked by: Hugo @ 2009-04-28 05:24:45

Answers ::
bad head gasket or crack head

kelly_f_1999

You've overheated it and blown the head gasket. It's a $1500 fix. Good luck.

dale b

Another possibility is your oil cooler. Very common on the 1.8.

David S

prob the oil cooler which the oil filter screws to. if the residue is really oily this is the case. if the residue is just dark/brown in color and a little sludgy, then it may be that you have coolant contanimation. someone put green coolant in your car and mixed it with the pink. your car MUST have only pink coolant, g12

Jonathan P

What do I need to know about a 1970 VW Camper bus/van?

I am looking into buying a 1970 VW camper bus/van, but I don't know much about em'. What do I need to know about 70's VW camper bus/van's? If you own or have owned a camper bus/van can you share your experiences? Maintenance? Gas mileage? Major and minor problems? Anything will be helpful!!
How fast do they go on the highway?

Asked by: gilsi617@ymail.com @ 2009-04-29 07:17:04

Answers ::
they are painfully slow

300SD

Well I spent a good deal of my 'wild times' in and around a van driving around the country. Here is what I learned (about the van):

1) Take care of the engine: It is a small engine pushing a LOT of weight. Change the oil monthly (minium) like a religion and check it each time you fill the car. If the oil goes south on you the engine is not far behind.

2) If you are driving in hot weather, or hot areas for an extended period of time, strongly consider an external oil cooler. If the oil gets too hot it will break down (see item #1).

3) Check for rust. Especially if you are 'based' in snow areas where they salt the road. Buses and vans have more pockets where the salt gets trapped and rots the metal work. Simply keeping the bottom and wheel wells hosed out usually avoids that.

4) Dont forget an annual lube. New cars have sealed bearings.. old bugs and busses don't.

5) Buy an electric heater . If you are driving in cold snowy areas a lot you will discover that the engine is TOO damn good at keeping itself cool. The inside will not warm up enough unless. So buy a plug in electric heater and install a cigarette lighter/power outlet. (Or you can always have 5 or 6 naked people in the back, but that is another story).

6) Dont expect to get there fast. Uphill, into the wind, with a moderate load, you can expect to slow down into third or maybe even second gear. The flip side is when you turn around and go the other way.. (wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee).

7) Buy a third party 'how to keep your vw alive' type book from the 70's.. Worth their weight in gold.

8) Mount the spare tire in front of the beast and carry a second one behind the seat or where ever it is normally mounted. Mine were snow tires so I could make the change if the weather did.

9) Enjoy the highway, but remember to try the back roads once in a while.. that is the best part of driving your own apartment around.

10) Parking is tougher, but you get used to it..

11) Never forget item #1.

ca_surveyor

That was a transition year for engins. The "B" engine was put in till July of 70. It had 57 hp. and was a 1600. From Aug 70 it had the ""AE" motor also a 1600 but with 60 hp. Both were up rights so you will not notice the difference.

Our 68 would do 65 on the flat all day. Hills were a 3rd gear story and mountians were 2nd and 1st, but the view was terrific. Had a box of apples and when they were gone we were there.

Some of the best times were parked during storms and having hot toddies watching the tenters fly past the windows. We would have a full load of survivors all telling stories and shareing libations. You don't get that in a 40' Excelsor exe motor coach.

I drove a 64 camper bus towing a 46 cj-2a jeep cross texas in 3rd gear.(engine was DONE when I got to Ore.

Went from Canberra to Darwin in a 59 panel.(blew the engine in Kathrine)

Cruised all over Cal and Or. in a 75 bubble top.(1800 FI big valves-what a rocket)

Camped at sand flat on Mt Shasta every 4th of july for 5 yrs straight.

They were like money in the bank- everytime I got poor it was time to trade down and start the restoration all over.

In short-- no matter what it costs, it's money well spent. And will be worth more when you sell than when you buy.

gaston